My week started out so beautifully. I am taking an online coaching class on silencing your inner critic and the daily journaling sessions have cleared my mind and allowed me to feel lighter, more free. I was happily taking Simon for a walk in the woods when I felt a hot and piercing pain in my arm. I looked down to see myself standing atop a yellow- jacket nest that was hidden underground. This sting was followed by 6 or 7 more- on my legs, arms, back and yes, my bum!

I began this painting after spending time reflecting on my amazing friends and family members who have embraced middle-age and are starting grand new adventures. They are mighty women of tremendous talent, drive, intelligence, creativity and spirit and they have big dreams.

I've spent this summer thinking and journaling about connection: the strong but ever-shifting connection of seasoned love and parenthood, the exciting but fragile connection of new friendship, and the painful, broken connection of damaged relationships. Making and maintaining connection is a mysterious waltz of up and down, back and forth, push and pull. In rhythm, we pull close, then twirl away, share truths and hide secrets, confess joyful feelings and nurse painful hurts. Like the best choreography- it is beautiful and complicated. As I journaled, an image flashed in my mind. I quickly sketched it out.

Something magical happened to me last week. To do it justice, I need to go back in time for a minute. Last summer, when I was feeling out of sorts, I popped into a beautiful art gallery and fell instantly in love with the owners, the art work and one artist in particular. Later I blogged about it and shared my dream of owning a particular Barb Scalia painting. My goal was to sell enough of my own art to be able to purchase hers. To be 100% honest, I didn't really believe that particular dream would come true. I'm in the early stages of this new adventure and most of my sales go right back into growing my business. I assumed by the time I as able to purchase this painting, she would be long gone. So I just dreamed about it, content in my hope of "someday".

When I first began Evening Street Studios, I made a deal with myself. Once I started selling my artwork, I would use part of that income to support artists I admire. The second part of the deal was that I would not spend a great deal of time over-thinking which art to purchase. If I came across a piece that spoke to my soul, made my heart skip a beat and I could afford it, I would buy it. There would be no thinking about where it would hang in my home, if the rest of my family would like it, or if the money was "better" spent elsewhere. I would invest in it before I could reason myself out of it.Impulsive? Perhaps. Spirit-lifting, life-affirming, soul-soothing? Most definitely.

I find my artist-self to be a bit unpredictable. Just when I think I have her figured out, my heart and soul hold a secret meeting and decide to take her on a new adventure. Usually it takes my brain a while to catch up.

Thinking things through before diving in to offer help is not my typical strategy. Despite my best efforts, intuitively and impulsively responding to crisis tends to be more my thing. I tend to respond first in love, and then sort out the details later. As a result, I often walk this tricky line of attempting to save the day and creating chaos. Some days it works, some days- not so much.

At the beginning of my blessed journey of dog-ownership came Bo, a 5 year old spaniel mix who chose me when I impulsively went to the shelter looking for a new friend. I walked past his kennel and just as I turned to go, he let out one loud, lonely howl. Right then and there, he was mine.

Aortic Aneurysm……Risk of Rupture……Open Heart Surgery….Sooner than Later. We sat there staring straight ahead, hearing words that our brains could not process; our denial making us numb. This isn’t possible. Not Rick, the strong foundation upon whom our family is built, whose boots track granite dust throughout our house and whose very name my phone auto-corrects to Rock. We expected some heart-related-news based on family history, but not this.

Months ago, I shared the story of a little mystery that is happening along the bike trail that runs behind my neighborhood. If you haven't read it yet, please take a moment to do so here....this story is SO much better with a little background. I have a mysterious friend ( or two) who leaves little rocks on the top of a post for others to find. Its been going on for months. But this week it became much more fun!

Creating something uniquely yours is a wonderful experience. Sharing it with the world, however, can sometimes be daunting.I imagine even the most experienced among us get a bit of stage fright right before presenting their latest work. As a result, I am a big believer in artists supporting one another. Today it is my very happy pleasure to introduce you to some of my favorites. Each has touched me personally through their exceptional talents and I'd like to repay their kindness with a little shout out.

Several weeks ago, as I watched the horrific, Neo-Nazi march and subsequent violence unfold in Charlottesville, Virginia, I was overcome with the shameful truth that I have been living in a bubble of comfort that shielded me from truly recognizing the horrible degree of racism in this country. An image flashed in my mind and I quickly sketched it on paper.

Please take a minute to really enjoy the photo above, it's a winner! See the little blondie on the right, bursting with excitement from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Her impressively large mouth is open with unbridled glee as she shows off her magical Easter bounty. See the siblings whose faces tell a completely different story. This picure is a perfectly captured moment of pure youngest child joy coupled with older sibling wisdom and it cracks me up.

I have just returned from 10 days spent in our home-away-from-home in North Carolina. Because it is located on a precious little island, there truly is water everywhere! We spend our days swimming in it, walking next to it, paddling on it or staring at it in awe. This time the combination of bright sunshine, slight cloud cover, and very little wind made it particularly stunning. Many times I could barely catch my breath from the beauty of it all.

Recently I found myself getting caught up in the belief that artistic success is measured by social media popularity. To achieve this success, marketing articles stressed the importance of branding through the use of stunning photography of an artist's work, life, and creative self. These would inspire people to want to get to know the artist and therefore want to purchase their art. I am certain that it was good advice, but to this private, messy, authenticity-obsessed soul, it was creatively paralyzing.

To post or not to post? Honestly I don't know what the right answer is but I am taking a big, deep breath and sharing this very colorful and cheerful canvas in the hopes it brings a smile today, not to distract because I don't want anyone to be distracted from the reality we live in. We have to stay focused and engaged in order for love to win- But to soothe. Just a bit.

When you look at the world from far away, things can look pretty grim. But from close up, there's so much beauty. So much kindness. Everywhere. Let's not loose heart. We can do this. As long as there is someone to love, there is meaning. There is life.